The Casual Updo

Guest Author - Lynne Chapman

As temperatures rise, many of us will find any means available to pull our hair up to keep it off our neck.
In these hot summer days, when clothes are damp with perspiration, the last thing we want is our hair clinging to the back of our neck and hanging on our shoulders increasing our internal temperature. While we may be dreaming of the look that the models are wearing in our favorite fashion magazines when modeling cool summer fashions, it often ends up being as impromptu as stuffing it underneath a baseball cap or grabbing a large jaw clip to secure it. While these remedies will work in a pinch, prior planning will result in a style that is still casual but much more attractive and flattering.

To have the versatility to create a casual updo on a whim, be sure that you always have these items on hand: Small and mini jaw clips sometimes called Butterfly Clips. -- It is best to opt for plain, rather than fancy styles, to coincide with the styles of today.

Bobby pins: Those are what you may have seen your hairdresser use. You will find them in you local department store hair goods section. The brown pins blend with most hair, even black and blonde. If your hair is white, you may want to use the silver bobby pins.

Hair gel: Even if you don’t normally use gel, it will prove effective for adding body and lasting power to your hair in humid weather and for slicking stray hairs back on a finished style.

Hair spray: Again, even if it is not your habit to use hairspray, it will add body and staying power to your style. Hair that is sprayed with hairspray, after the shampoo and blow-dry but before the styling will have more texture for the pins and clips to grab on to and therefore, stay put longer.

Hair wax or hair crème: This effective for scrunching into frizzy ends and for giving fly-a-way ends more substance.

So, in the morning, when the weather man is telling you that it’s going to be a scorcher, take heed and opt for starting off your day with a casual up do instead of resorting to a haphazard ‘do later

Turn to Page Two for some suggestions on how to create these Casual Updos for yourself.